Taylor Swift is set to lead the way at the upcoming Country Music Association (CMA) Awards as she battles to retain her Entertainer of the Year title for a second year in a row.

The "Love Story" hitmaker was among the first nominees announced in New York City on Wednesday ahead of the glitzy prizegiving in November.

Swift will compete to retain the Entertainer of the Year title she won in 2011, alongside Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley and Blake Shelton, and she is also nominated in the Female Vocalist Of The Year category with Kelly Clarkson, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride and Carrie Underwood.

Jason Aldean, who helped announce the nominations with Luke Bryan, will take on his announcing partner for the Male Vocalist Of The Year prize with Eric Church, Blake Shelton and Keith Urban, while Church and Bryan will face off again for the Album Of The Year trophy for their records Chief and Tailgates & Tanlines respectively.

Other competitors in the album category include Miranda Lambert ("Four the Record"), Dierks Bentley ("Home"), and Lady Antebellum ("Own The Night").

Lady Antebellum will also compete for the Vocal Group Of The Year title with the Eli Young Band, Little Big Town, The Band Perry and Zac Brown Band.

The stars of Lady Antebellum were due to travel to New York to help Aldean announce the nominations, but they had to cancel their trip due to bad weather.

In a post on her Twitter page, singer Hillary Scott writes, "Due to weather, we are unable to get to NYC to reveal CMA nominees w/ (with) Jason Aldean but we'll be tuned in to (the TV broadcast) tomorrow morning with you!"

The awards will be handed out on Nov. 1 in Nashville.